Russel Walters – Page 2 – Somn

How Environment Impacts Your Sleep

Author: Russel Walters

Russ researches a diverse set of complex dynamic systems including colloidal systems, biophysical systems, human systems, and innovation networks. He has conceived and created a handful of AI healthcare technologies that take advantage of the deep expertise of academic researchers. With a cultivated ability to manage, analyze, model and discover connections between data, Russ finds the story within and helps to reveal what the data wants to tell, creating beautiful visualizations along the way.

How Environment Impacts Your Sleep

by Russel Walters
This scientific article on how environment impacts your sleep was written by Russel M. Walters, PhD, chief science officer at Somn.

The bed is the single location where we spend the most time and hence have the longest environmental exposure. And yet this environment is poorly described or understood and under studied. The environment impacts your sleep in many complex ways. The impact or effect size of each different environmental impact is small, but the overall impact of the sleep environment is likely clinically meaningful.

Zeitgebers

There is wide agreement that environmental factors affect sleep and health. Zeitgebers are environmental phenomena that regulate the body’s daily circadian rhythms. Typically considered as naturally occurring phenomena (such as sun light and temperature), in modern societies social activities – especially eating (Stephan 2002), and other artificial sources (e.g. house lights, your phone) – can also have daily variation that function as zeitgebers.

Zeitgebers such as the light and dark cycle of the day or the warmer daytime and colder nighttime help to entrain people onto the 24-hour clock. In the absence of zeitgebers and social responsibilities, a person would have a free running clock that would be determined by their internal circadian clock.

Circadian biology

Many bodily systems have a daily, or circadian, variation that both supports the regulation of sleep and wake and also prepares and provides the body what it needs at the appropriate time of day. This body’s circadian clock(s) are entrained to zeitgebers, external stimuli that vary over the course of the day, such as sunlight and temperature.  The chart below shows some of the bodily systems and functions that have a circadian variation.  Melatonin and cortisol serve key roles in managing your body’s biological clock as well as managing your sleep and wake cycles. Under normal conditions melatonin is produced by the body, endogenously, in the evening and overnight. As the body transitions from sleep during the night to waking in the morning, melatonin falls and cortisol rises. Body temperature and blood flow that had been decreasing over the course of the night begins to increase.

Scientists are increasingly realizing the importance and wide extent of biological systems that have circadian rhythm variations. Yet, most experimentation is limited to model species (flies, rodents, plants) and most human studies take place in highly controlled environments (typically deep in the basement of medical systems). In studying environmental effects on humans, much is lost if the study occurs outside of their “natural” environment. Recently, Skarke brought these concepts out of the lab and into the real-world environment in a pilot study of six subjects (Skarke 2017).

Read more about melatonin here.

Sleep & environment:

While the field of chronobiology has grown in prominence, the field of sleep medicine is dominated by pulmonologists focused on disrupted breathing (i.e. apnea and snoring) and by behavioral psychologists focused on changing behaviors and routines in order to improve the sleep of their patients. This is entirely appropriate as these two areas cover the majority of effects on sleep. Outside of sleep medicine, the field of design thinks a great deal about how people interact with their environment, but almost exclusively while people are awake.

Typically, environmental influences are thought to affect sleep by disrupting sleep, promoting an awakening from sleep, or delaying falling asleep. Alternatively, certain environment influences can bring a user into sleep or return a user to sleep. Acoustic stimulation is being used to enhance slow waves during sleep and lead to deeper sleep (Ngo 2013). The environment that a user experiences during wake can have significant influences on how the user sleeps later in the day. As mental health significantly impacts sleep health, the environmental experience during wake would be expected to also affect sleep. For example, the experience of a park has been shown to reduce salivary cortisol (Roe 2013) (Thompson 2012). There are a number of ways that the environment impacts your sleep including:

  • Sound (intensity, frequency, timing variation, scene, location & movement)
  • Light (intensity, color, timing variation, information content, location & movement)
  • Mechanical: vibration / draft / movement
  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Smells and air quality (pollution, allergens, etc.)

The sensorial experience of each environmental factor is the collection, or summation, of the array of sources; this has both temporal and spectral variations. A good example of this complexity can be seen in the ecological soundscapes produced in nature and recorded by Pijanowski. (Pijanowski 2011). Additionally, each factor has its own response surface, that is to say what levels (both intensity and frequency) are negative or positive for sleep and at different stages of sleep which is influenced by the signal transduction and also the interpretation.

Light and sleep

Modern societies modify their environments in ways that dampen or eliminate the natural daily variation: artificial light during times of dark; thermostats to warm cold nights; noise during times of quiet. It is telling that these additions to the natural state are often called pollution. There are suggestions (Wyse 2011)and some evidence that this more subtle control of the built environment is detrimental to health; light at night have been shown to cause depression-like symptoms in rodents (Bedrosian 2013) (Fonken 2013). There is conflicting evidence on the influence of the moon on sleep, perhaps due to large geospatial variability of anthropogenic sources on light at night.

Sounds and sleep

Not surprising sound can disrupt sleep, but there is also evidence that sound can support or even enhance sleep. Sound from transportation sources (rail, planes, roads) are the relatively more studied environmental impact (Bodin 2017, Hong 2010, Passchier 2002). Sounds in hospital settings have been found to have detrimental effects on health and recovery (Huang 2015).

Studies have been conducted in ecologically valid settings (i.e. subject’s bedroom) (Aasvang 2011) and also in controlled lab settings (Marks 2007). The effects of natural sounds have been largely ignored, and natural sounds can be rather loud in wetter locations. Silence is not the natural state for sleep; night and especially early evening are not a quiet time in nature. Healthy ecosystems have diverse sounds that rise into the evening and become quieter overnight (Pijanowski 2011). Sound has fewer impactful sources than light, but there is not a convenient way to measure or sum the many possible sources.

Sound has also been used to drive people into deeper sleep.  There are a few commercial products that have brought this science out of the research lab and into the bedroom.  Dreem and Hibernate use acoustic stimulation during sleep to bring sleepers into deeper sleep.

Other environmental factors

There is a long tail of many other possible environmental factors that could influence sleep that are little studied. Vibration is being explored in infant beds (Zuzarte 2017), but there is little evidence. While it is well known that core body temperature has a daily circadian variation, dropping through the night, it is unclear how the sleep environment temperature and humidity support or interfere with this process. The information in the scene or setting of sleep is well known to be important (e.g. the first night under study is often not used in analysis) but is also little studied. Things like tree cover and proximity to water may ease stress, or air quality may have a complex cascade of interaction that impede sleep.

Now that that you understand how the environment impacts your sleep,

What to do next:

Reference on how the environment impacts your sleep

TA Bedrosian, ZM Weil, RJ Nelson, Chronic dim light at night provokes reversible depression-like phenotype: possible role for TNF, Molecular Psychiatry, 2013, 18, 930.

EC Bodin, J Selander, Burden of disease from road traffic and railway noise – a quantification of healthy life years lost in Sweden, Scand J Work Environ Health 2017;43(6):519.

LK Fonken, RJ Nelson, Dim light at night increases depressive-like responses in male C3H/HeNHsd mice, Behavioural Brain Research 243 (2013) 74.

Hong J, et al. The effects of long-term exposure to railway and road traffic noise on subjective sleep disturbance, J Acoust Soc Am. 2010, 128(5), 2829.

HW Huang, et al., Effect of oral melatonin and wearing earplugs and eye masks on nocturnal sleep in healthy subjects in a simulated intensive care unit environment: which might be a more promising strategy for ICU sleep deprivation? Huang et al. Critical Care (2015) 19:124.

GM Aasvang, et al. A field study of effects of road traffic and railway noise on polysomnographic sleep parameters, J Acoustical Soc of America 2011, 129, 3716.

G Kecklund, J Axelsson, Health consequences of shift work and insufficient sleep BMJ, 2016; 355.

A Marks, B Griefahn, Associations between noise sensitivity and sleep, subjectively evaluated sleep quality, annoyance, and performance after exposure to nocturnal traffic noise. Noise Health, 2007, 9:1.

JA Mindell, R Gould, L Tikotzy, ES Leichman, RM Walters, Norm-Referenced Scoring System for the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire–Revised (BISQ-R), Sleep Medicine, 2019.

HV Ngo, T Martinetz, J Born, M Molle, Auditory closed-loop stimulation of the sleep slow oscillation enhances memory, Neuron, 2013, 78(3):545.

W Passchier-Vermeer, H Vos, JH Steenbekkers, FD van der Ploeg, K Groothuis-Oudshoorn, Sleep disturbance and aircraft noise exposure. Exposure-effect relationship. TNO Prevention and Health TNO-Report Nr, 2002, 027.

Pijanowski, et al., Soundscape Ecology: The Science of Sound in the Landscape, BioScience, 203, 2011

JJ Roe, et al. Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban Communities, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2013, 10(9), 4086.

Skarke, C., et al. (2017). A pilot characterization of the human chronobiome. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-12.

FK Stephan, The “Other” Circadian System: Food as a Zeitgeber, J Biological Rhythms, 2002, 17(4), 284.

CW Thompson, et al., More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns, Landscape and Urban Planning, 2012, 105(3), 221.

CA Wyse, et al. Circadian desynchrony and metabolic dysfunction; did light pollution make us fat?, Medical Hypotheses, 2011, 77, 1139. I Zuzarte, P Indic, B Barton, D Paydarfar, F Bednarek, et al. Vibrotactile stimulation: A non-pharmacological intervention for opioid-exposed newborns, PLOS ONE, 2017, 12(4): e0175981.

Somn Sleep Assessment: understand your sleep

by Russel Walters

Overview: The Somn sleep assessment is based on 50 years of academic sleep research. The results are summarized into 5 sleep factors. The Somn sleep factors (and sub-factors) explain that sources of problems that may be negatively impacting your sleep, and are:

  • Mind: anxiety, stress, negative mood
  • Body: apnea & snoring, restless leg syndrome, pain / physical discomfort, menopause
  • Routine: bedtime, goals / habits, activity
  • Social: children, work & school, bed partner, pets
  • Environment: noise, light, interior layout
Five Somn Sleep Factors
5 Somn Sleep Factors

Somn Sleep Factor: Mind

Anxieties • Worries • Feelings

The mind is a powerful element when it comes to the quality of our sleep and a difficult day can keep us awake regardless of physical exhaustion. Stress, anxiety and negative thoughts have been shown to not only minimize the amount of sleep we get each night, but they can also reduce the quality of those hours while increasing the risk of insomnia. An anxious or depressed person who can’t sleep because of these symptoms can easily get locked into a vicious cycle that causes more sleeplessness, which in turn worsens their mental state. Studies have found that the inability to reduce external distractions can affect sleep already mired by negative moods.

Somn Sleep Factor: Body

Biology • Discomfort • Physiology

While the mind can be a powerful deterrent in the quality of sleep one gets, the body, its demands, ongoing changes and, general discomfort can be as equally prohibitive. Sleep needs change as we age and go through major life events like pregnancy, menopause, and illness. Some discomfort may be temporary while others could be lifelong. No matter where we are in life or where our health stands, we all need to be comfortable and physically nourished to fall – and stay – asleep.

There are many physical aspects that can impact sleep – from something as simple as needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to an ongoing condition, like Restless Leg Syndrome. According to the Cleveland Clinic, Restless Leg Syndrome is present during the day but the urge to move may worsen or only happen in the evening. Individuals that experience this sensation can feel tired during the day and then unable to sleep at night. Similarly, more than 18 million Americans have Sleep Apnea, another nighttime condition that often involves heavy snoring and impaired breathing at night, ultimately diminishing both the quantity and quality of sleep.

The inability to sleep reduces the body’s ability to rest and recover, which leads to more pain as your body has less downtime to heal. When the Body is a sleep factor it’s important to remember that it can be remedied. We don’t have to live with discomfort. And, our sleep doesn’t have to suffer because of it. If the body has recently started interfering with your sleep, explore the articles below for advice. And, if the body has been a sleep issue for a while, reach out to your doctor to get the support you need to feel better and sleep better.

Somn Sleep Factor: Routine

Personal Habits • Behaviors • Choices

However unwieldy our day-to-day may be, we all have routines we follow from morning to night. The question is: Do they support or hinder sleep? One easy way to answer this question is to keep a sleep journal. This tool helps you track your daily habits and uncover which ones lead to good sleep and poor sleep.

Now, if you want to make a specific improvement in your sleep routine (such as waking up earlier), try taking incremental steps. For example, aim to wake up 15 minutes earlier instead of 2 hours earlier – and then progressively wake up earlier and earlier over time until you reach your goal. Change isn’t always simple but you can set yourself up for success by easing into a new routine – just like you do on vacation.

Somn Sleep Factor: Social

External Pressures • Obligations • Relationships

Regardless if it’s an important project at work with a quickly approaching deadline, a sick child, an upcoming social event, daily responsibilities can interfere with sleep. External influences and obligations to work, family, friends, and even pets, are at the heart of the Social sleep factor. Though we may want better sleep, it may not be possible with the responsibilities we have in every aspect of our lives. So, if you tend to prioritize those responsibilities over your sleep (and let’s face, we all have at one point or another), then Social is likely a sleep factor for you.

You don’t need to sacrifice sleep to be a great leader, a star student, or an amazing parent and friend. In fact, studies have found that sleep is fundamental to success at work and at home. Consistent, quality sleep aids in concentration and decision-making (two things we all need when we’re on the clock). It also helps us be more empathetic and even-keeled, which comes in handy when we’re back at home or out with friends.

Somn Sleep Factor: Environment

Noise • Light • Interior Layout

Sleep is affected by many external forces, including the space around us. In fact, our sleep environment often triggers biological functions that help us fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up. Whether it’s the bedroom at home, a family member’s guest room, or a cabin at a rural getaway – our environment affects our sleep.

Many studies have shown just how much our environment affects our rest. In 2017, researchers found that a few days of camping (and avoiding artificial light) helps tune our bodies to a more natural circadian rhythm. Another study found that bedroom temperature impacts sleep quality even more than noise. And, in Somn’s own research, we saw that the frequency of nightmares correlates with uncomfortable beds.

There are many simple things you can do to make your environment more sleep-friendly. Start by trying to make the space cool and dark. If it’s too costly to run the A/C, try a cooling mattress pad. If you don’t want spend on black out curtains, just get an eye mask. There are solutions out there for every budget and every lifestyle.

What to do next…

Somn Sleep Factors: understand what is affecting your sleep

by Russel Walters

Sleep is dynamic, changing as we go through many ages and stages of life.  Sleep is also complex in that it is based on numerous internal and external ingredients.  The Somn sleep assessment is based on 50 years of academic sleep research and identifies 5 sleep factors. The Somn sleep factors (and sub-factors) explain the sources of problems that may be negatively impacting your sleep, and are:

Five Somn Sleep Factors

Somn Sleep Factor: Mind

(Anxieties • Worries • Feelings)

Somn Sleep Factor Mind

Everyone’s had those sleepless nights when their mind wouldn’t stop racing as worries, stresses and negative feelings piled on top of one another. The mind is a powerful element when it comes to the quality of our sleep and a difficult day can keep us awake regardless of physical exhaustion. As stress hormones peak at night, our sleep can be disrupted simply because our mind cannot rest. And, when we don’t rest at night, we struggle to be our best selves the next day.

Stress, anxiety and negative thoughts have been shown to not only minimize the amount of sleep we get each night, but they can also reduce the quality of those hours while increasing the risk of insomnia. Sleep isn’t simply a moment for us to rest – it’s a time when the body repairs itself and the mind processes the day. An anxious or depressed person who can’t sleep because of these symptoms can easily get locked into a vicious cycle that causes more sleeplessness, which in turn worsens their mental state. Studies have found that an erratic schedule and the inability to reduce external distractions (including our connection to digital devices) can affect sleep already mired in negative moods.

The mind can be a powerful obstacle to sleep, but there are many tools, such as meditation apps or aromatherapy, that can help create calm. A study conducted at the University of Sussex suggested that reading for as little as six minutes may reduce stress levels by more than two-thirds. And, exercise is no slouch, either – research has shown that just a few minutes of physical activity can reduce anxiety and foster better sleep.

Want to learn even more about the Mind Sleep Factor?

Somn Sleep Factor: Body

(Biology • Discomfort • Physiology)

Somn Sleep Factor Body

While the mind can be a powerful deterrent in the quality of sleep one gets, the body, its demands, ongoing changes and, general discomfort can be equally as prohibitive. Our sleep needs change as we age and go through major life events like pregnancy, menopause, and illness. Some discomforts may be temporary while others could be lifelong. No matter where we are in life or where our health stands, we all need to be comfortable and physically nourished to fall – and stay – asleep.

There are many physical aspects that can impact sleep – from something as simple as needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to an ongoing condition, like Restless Leg Syndrome. According to the Cleveland Clinic, Restless Leg Syndrome is present during the day but the urge to move may worsen or only happen in the evening. Individuals that experience this sensation can feel tired during the day and then unable to sleep at night. Similarly, more than 18 million Americans have Sleep Apnea, another nighttime condition that often involves heavy snoring and impaired breathing at night, ultimately diminishing both the quantity and quality of sleep.

The inability to sleep reduces the body’s ability to rest and recover, which leads to more pain as your body has less downtime to heal. When the Body is a key factor in sleep issues it’s important to remember that it can be remedied. We don’t have to live with discomfort. And, our sleep doesn’t have to suffer because of it. If your body has recently started interfering with your sleep, explore the articles below for advice. And, if your body has been a sleep issue for a while, reach out to your doctor to get the support you need to feel better and sleep better.

Want to learn even more about the Body Sleep Factor?

Somn Sleep Factor: Routine

(Personal Habits • Behaviors • Choices)

Somn Sleep Factor Routine

Imagine yourself on vacation without chores, work assignments, or a schedule. You find yourself easing into a comfortable routine. Here, your behaviors, habits, and choices are designed for enjoyment and relaxation, which primes your mind and body for better rest.

But, back at home, life is rarely like this. Instead of strolling along the beach, we’re commuting in heavy traffic. And, rather than eating a fresh meal, we’re ordering fast food. The Routine factor encompasses the daily behaviors that impact sleep, like our diet, bedtime and wake time, activity/exercise, and the number of caffeinated and / or alcoholic drinks we consume.

However hectic our day-to-day may be, we all have routines we follow from morning to night. The question is: Do they support or harm our sleep? One easy way to answer this question is to keep a sleep journal. This tool helps you track your daily habits and uncover which ones lead to good sleep and poor sleep.

If you want to make a specific improvement in your sleep routine (such as waking up earlier), try taking incremental steps. For example, start by aiming to wake up 15 minutes earlier instead of 2 hours earlier – and then progressively wake up earlier and earlier over time until you reach your 2 hour goal. Change isn’t always simple, but you can set yourself up for success by easing into a new routine.

Want to learn even more about the Routine Sleep Factor?

Somn Sleep Factor: Social

(External Pressures • Obligations • Relationships)

Somn Sleep Factor Social

Regardless if it’s an important project at work with a fast approaching deadline, a sick child, or an upcoming social event, daily responsibilities can interfere with sleep. External influences and obligations to work, family, friends, and even pets, are at the heart of the Social sleep factor. Though we may want better sleep, it may not be possible with the responsibilities we have in every aspect of our lives. So, if you tend to prioritize those responsibilities over your sleep (and let’s face, we all have at one point or another), then Social is likely a key sleep factor for you.

The great news? You don’t need to sacrifice sleep to be a great leader, a star student, or an amazing parent and friend. In fact, studies have found that sleep is fundamental to success at work and at home. Consistent, quality sleep helps concentration and decision-making (two things we all need when we’re on the clock). It also helps us be more empathetic and balanced, which comes in handy when we’re back at home or out with friends.

Determine ways to mitigate external pressures and protect your sleep by setting boundaries. For example, commit to not working after 5:00 p.m. (or whenever your workday ends). Also – and we know this goes against the norm – but say no to things when you feel overextended. You’ll find that setting limits can be liberating and beneficial to a sleep routine.

Want to learn even more about the Social Sleep Factor?

Somn Sleep Factor: Environment

(Noise • Light • Interior Layout)

Somn Sleep Factor Environment

Sleep isn’t just influenced by our internal biology and thoughts – it’s also affected by many external forces, including the space around us. In fact, our sleep environment often triggers biological functions that help us fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up. Whether it’s the bedroom at home, a family member’s guest room, or a cabin at a rural getaway – our environment affects our sleep. For a moment, just think of those three spaces we listed – the bedroom at home, the guest room, and the cabin. Each one of those spaces is going to have different sounds, temperatures, types of light, and levels of comfort. And, those differences (however slight they may seem) can make or break our sleep quality.

Many studies have shown just how much our environment affects our rest. In 2017, researchers found that a few days of camping (and avoiding artificial light) helps tune our bodies to a more natural circadian rhythm. Another study found that bedroom temperature impacts sleep quality even more than noise. And, in our own research at Somn, we observed that the frequency of nightmares correlates with uncomfortable beds.  Now, more than ever before there are a range of mattress solutions that are designed to help address your unique sleep needs.

There are also many simple things you can do to make your environment more sleep-friendly. Start by trying to make the space cool and dark. If it’s too costly to run the A/C, try a cooling mattress pad. If you don’t want to spend money on black out curtains, just get an eye mask. There are solutions out there for every budget and every lifestyle. Any investment you make in your sleep and your health are worth it.

Want to learn even more about the Environment Sleep Factor?

Read our from the lab series about on the environment impacts sleep.

What to do next…

Somn Sleep Journal: record and improve your sleep

by Russel Walters

A sleep journal, or a sleep diary, is used to track and record your daily sleep and wake and other related actives. Typically maintained over a period of several weeks, sleep journals help people understand their sleep patterns and to find ways to improve their sleep. Often, just the act of tracking and recording can help people improve their sleep. Clinically and in research, sleep journals are used to collect sleep data for later interpretation by professionals.

The Somn Sleep Journal

Our three-week program has been designed to help you dive into your sleep habits and embrace the importance of healthy routines in your sleep journey. The Somn Sleep Journal program focuses on goal setting and taking consistent, incremental steps towards change.  And remember, change isn’t always simple, but this journal will help you ease into a new routine. According to Matthew Ebben, PhD, a psychologist specializing in sleep medicine, “A sleep log is a great way to document what someone is feeling about their sleep quality and see if that improves over time.”

Routines are important

Healthy routines make a world of difference to sleep.  Sleep scientists see this again and again in their research. Studies on sleep often involve 2 weeks where people track sleep, and a curious thing happens during that period… sleep improves! Often a lot. Just by tracking their sleep.

We hope this helps you to further understand your sleep and take the first steps to better sleep health.

Daily behaviors & routines

Routine encompasses daily behaviors that impact sleep such as diet, bedtime and wake time, exercise, and when and how much caffeine we consume. However challenging our day-to-day may be, we all have routines we follow from morning to night. The question is:  Do they help or hurt sleep?  One way to answer this question is to keep a sleep journal, so you can track your daily habits and discover how they impact your sleep.

Try using a sleep journal to record and track your daily sleep, waking, and related activities over a period of several weeks. The information you generate can help you understand your sleep patterns and find ways to improve your sleep. Often, just the act of tracking and recording sleep helps people to improve their sleep.

Somn Sleep Journal Basics

Before further examining why a sleep diary will likely boost your z’s, let’s discuss how it’s done.

Pen & paper? remember that?

Yah, but I have a phone that does everything, why paper?

We like digital things too, but paper is sometimes special. The physical journal sitting beside your bed can be a good reminding to log your sleep and avoids screens.  Tracking your sleep with pen and paper (or “old school tracking” as we like to call it) is a useful way to visualize your sleep patterns and understand your sleep health.  Increasing awareness of sleep can help improve your sleep.

Step 1) Setting goals

  • Select a target bedtime.  Consistent bedtimes are important and a good 1st thing to fix or improve with your sleep.  Find help here about how to pick a target bedtime.
  • Record this target bedtime in your journal. Setting, declaring and recording a goal helps to establish the goal and helps you stick with it.

Step 2) Daily/nightly tracking

  • Your actual bedtime (hopefully close to your target bedtime!)
  • If you missed your target bedtime
  • Sleep quality; how well you slept
  • If and when you awoke during the night…
  • and when you fell back asleep
  • When you woke up for the day

You will also track some of your activities during the day that are sleep related

  • Physical activity; moving during the day helps sleep at night
  • Caffeinated and alcoholic drinks you consumed over the course of the day
  • Screen time before bedtime; it’s hard, but put the phone down

Step 3) Journal your thoughts at night

Getting ideas down and out of your head can help the Mind sleep factor. See if it works for you. Write about whatever you like; it is your tool. Recapping the day is a good start. Try it for a few nights, it gets easier and more natural each time. Journal is a well proven tool that can bring peace after a stressful day.

Step 4) Sleep and use it… record your sleep for a week

We are here to help you interpret as well. More guidance on interpreting your sleep can be found here.

Step 5) Review & reflect

When you become aware of the behaviors that negatively impact your sleep, you adjust. As you keep your sleep journal, you’ll start to see how your routine impacts your sleep. Once you realize how your choices have been negatively impacting you, you’ll make different and better choices.

Step 6) Repeat… keeping going; every night

Over time, these insights will allow you to piece together your shuteye puzzle. If you often eat a heavy meal too close to bedtime, for example, your own digestive system may be the sleep thief. If you begin to find that the glow from a streetlamp outside your window frequently wakes you, your particular light sensitivity may be the culprit. Recording and evaluating your habits will shed light, too, on your particular susceptibilities and where you can clean up your sleep hygiene. And good news: sometimes you can problem solve on your own, without the help of a doctor. Eye mask, anyone?

What to do next…

Need some more reasons to keep a sleep journal…?

1. Keeping a sleep log will help you understand your own sleep habits.

Often sleep disorders are not to blame for your trouble snoozing. The real problem is often your sleep habits. Assessing whether or not your sleep routine, or lack thereof, is serving you could do wonders for your beauty sleep.

With a little reflection on your patterns, you can find better sleep. Take note of any tendencies that don’t align with good sleep hygiene, self-correct, and see if things improve.

2. A sleep journal helps you prioritize shuteye.

When you become aware of the behaviors that negatively impact your sleep, you adjust. As soon as you start keeping your sleep diary, you’ll start to make conscious choices to improve your nights spent in subconscious dreamland. You’ll choose chamomile tea over a bourbon nightcap… abolish blue light… put the phone down… and draw the curtains. You’ll scent your space with lavender. Once you realize how your choices have been negatively impacting you, you’ll make different and better choices.

3. A sleep diary is an effective tool… and there’s science to back it up.

According to Dr. Ebben, keeping a sleep log for at least two weeks is a “wealth of information”, giving patients the opportunity “to find and fix sleep problems”.

4. Keeping a sleep log will encourage you to take charge of your health in other ways, too.

Tracking your own personal data (lifelogging, quantified self, body hacking, etc) is not a bad habit to get into, and it’s not so much about counting your steps each day or meticulously recording calories: it’s a feeling. What wakes you up at night? Which foods wreak havoc on your digestive system? Everyone’s is different, and when you start to pay attention to how you react to sleep disruptors, you’ll learn to pay attention to what breaks your skin out, makes you bloated, and gives you anxiety. In short, you’ll be better able to understand and nurture your own health.

5. You might actually enjoy keeping a sleep diary

If you write morning pages, keep a bullet journal, or consider yourself a writer – you just might like keeping your sleep log. Make it your own, make it sustainable, and make it fun! There’s no truer form of self-care than learning how to keep yourself healthy and happy. Do it your way.

Get your own Somn Sleep Journal and start tracking your sleep

Sleep Habits of Entrepreneurs: Dulcie Madden, Rest Devices

by Russel Walters

In SomnLabs’ Sleep Habits of Entrepreneurs series, we talk with leading founders and creators to explore the role of sleep in innovation. This week, we talked with Dulcie Madden.

Dulcie is a co-founder and the CEO of Rest Devices, a Boston-based startup that builds software and hardware for parents to help their babies sleep better.

The Basics

Name: Dulcie Madden
Age: 37
Avg. Caffeinated Drinks Per Day: 1
Avg. Naps Per Week: 0
Avg. Hours of Sleep Each Night: 7

Dulcie’s Sleep Profile

Do you feel like you’ve “figured out” your sleep?

Yeah, but it’s changed over time. Back when my company was just starting out and I didn’t have kids, I would stay up late and work. I knew I could get by with four hours of sleep. But, when I hit my mid-30s, I realized I was more productive with 7.5 hours of sleep. Now that I’m a running a business and a parent, sleep is a bigger priority because I don’t want to be exhausted at work and a zombie around my kids.

How do you define “good sleep”?

Getting an uninterrupted 3-hour stretch of sleep.

What helps you wake up in the morning?

My husband is a wonderful human and wakes up early with the kids if the baby is up at night. He’ll bring me a cup of coffee and refill my water. (I drink so much water!) And, my kids come over to my bed in the morning. That’s the best thing in the world.

How do you like to start your day?

My husband and I are co-founders of Rest Devices, so it’s easy for us to talk about work first thing in the morning. But, now that we have kids, I focus my mornings on reading with my son, Sammy, and feeding my daughter, Mathilda.

Do you have any nighttime rituals?

Reading to the kids at night helps me relax and get ready for bed. And, I try to drink a couple pints of water so I don’t wake up in the middle of the night feeling dehydrated. 

Another thing that’s big for me is avoiding screens. I don’t like looking at my phone for any reason at night. It represents work. Like computers, phones are tools. And, I don’t want these things around areas of relaxation. Also, my husband and I go to sleep at exactly the same time. It’s important to us that we don’t have a separate bedtime and I can’t really articulate why. I just know that, if you have a partner, discovering how you approach sleep together is meaningful.

What helps you stay asleep?

Temperature is really important. I’ll make the bedroom is as cool as possible. Also, fresh sheets are essential.

What keeps you from going to bed?

If I’m really stressed out about my business or someone on my team, I won’t be able to sleep. Or, if I’m freaked out about a meeting and feeling unprepared. When this happens, I try to be super communicative about what I’m stressed about it. Just getting it out there – instead of letting it rattle around in my head – helps a lot. As a CEO, 90% of my job is communication.

How do you balance work and sleep?

I see sleep and work as function of each other. I need sleep to be a great CEO (and a great mom, sister, daughter, and wife).

What sleep advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

Don’t discount sleep. It’s easy (and I did this for a long time) to erode your sleep because there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s a tricky cycle to get into. So, give yourself time to sleep and learn what you need to do to unwind.

If you have trouble relaxing at night, it’s worth exploring yoga and meditation. When I was living in India, I did these things every day. And, because of that, I now naturally release thoughts and do breathing exercises that help me relax. But, something different may work for you. Find a practice that helps you process stress.

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